Packaging means for small resistor units



Sept. 10. 1940. w. s. FREEBURG 2,214,230

rmmeme mmms. FOR SMALL maszswon uuz'rs Filed July 18, 1936 i 2 Sheets-Sheet l WIHZZET 5. Freaburg- .sgpt. 10. 1940- w. s. FREEBURG 2,214,230

- max/mm MEANS For: SMALL RESISTOR-UNITS Filed July -l8, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 |l Z0 III WMMIMMIIIM IIH 1w EMA/w W/ier E. Freaburg Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,214,230. mcxaemc'. rrnnn s rfig SMALL nnsrs'ron Walter S Freebnrg, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to Allen-Bradley Company, lltlilwaukee. Wia, a corporation. of Wisconsin Application July 18, 1936, Serial No. 91,313

r s ibl. zoo-s) eighths of an inch long and one-eighth of an inch '1 in diameter, with oneand one-half inch wire leads.

The handling of units as small as this in the large quantities necessitated by present manufacturing methods introduces serious problems.

In a radio receiver'several resistance units of the same physical characteristics, but of different resistance values, may be required, and as the resistance value of the unit is usually indicated by a code marking on the'body ofthe unit, the need.

-for some practical manner of expediting the han- 20 dllng of the units in large quantities becomes apparent.

It is particularly difiicult to pick up individual units in rapid order as is necessary in production methods of manufacture, and if the units are but 25 haphazardly handled in bulk, their wire leads are apt to become bent which further prevents efiicient handling of the units in the assembly of radio receivers. g I

With a'view toward overcoming the disadvan- "tages of haphazard-handling of resistor units, this invention has as an object to provide means whereby large numbers of such small resistor units may be handled in orderly fashion and without danger of having their lead wires bent.

35 Another object of this invention is to provide means for holding the units in definite rows in such a manner that their code markingsare at all times visible, and so that removal of individual units is facilitated. I

40 Another object of this invention is to provide means for grouping definite numbers of resistor units or similar articles which means is so designed that a plurality of such groups may bereadily packaged for bulk handling.

45'- Another-object of this invention is to provide meansfor indicating at all times and at a glance the number of units present in a container hold- -closed by a cover 6.

ment of -the hereindisclosed invention maybe made as come within the scope of the claims The accompanying drawings illustrate several complete examples of the physical embodiment of the invention constructed according to the best 5 modes so far devised for the practical application of the principlesthereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box or container embodying this invention shown with its cover removed and containing only part of the 10 total number of units which the box is intended to hold; V Figure 2 is a perspective viewof. one of the inserts or carriers used to group the units in the embodiment, of the inventionshown in-Flgure 1, some of the units being in place therein;

Figure 3 is a perspective view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of insert or carrier;

' Figure 4 is a perspective view illustrating another type of carrier or insert;

- Figure 5 is a top plan view showing the manner 'in which inserts of the type shown in Figure 4 may be bundled for packaging. p

Referring now particularly to the accompanying drawings and especially to Figures -1 and 2,

the numeral 5 designates the main section or body of a box, the open top of'which is adapted to be The box is preferably formed of cardboard and has'an oblong shape with the body portion 5 thereof less than half the height of the cover.

- -On the outside faces of both side walls, a graduated scale I is delineated which provides indicia for determining the number 91 units contained within the box, not only when it is full to capacity, but also as the units are removed. In this manner, a close approximation of the number of units which a workman has on hand can be instantly determined at all times.

While in the drawings only one side of the box and its scale I is shown, as stated, both sides have such scales so that the number of units present in the box can be determined regardless which side the box is viewed from.

Contained within the base or body portion of 5 the box 5 are several inserts or carriers 8 in which the resistor units 9 are directly received. These inserts or carriers 8 by which the units are grouped are all identical in size and construction and have a definite number of individual pockets or compartments I 0 in which the lead wires l I at one endof the units are received.

The spacing between the individual pockets or compartments-I0 is 5 oh that adjacent units just contact each other so t at when all of the pockets o5 any suitable design and construction, but it has of a carrier 8 are filled, an unbroken row of units is present. If any one pocket mpty, the break in the row is immediately visi 1e so that in packing the cartons accuracy as to the number contained therein is assured.

The code marking for resistor units of this type generally 'eo ns ists of 'diflerent 'colored ,bandsimor side thereofaremovpd, 2,1 Q W QQ- W 1 sti ips [9 provide aligned cells or painted or otherwise delineatedon the bodies of the units as at l2. Marked in this manner, it is a simple matter to detect units of improper value which bear code markings of different combinations of colors. The assurance of accuracy as to uniformity of resistance values is thus a further advantage of this invention.

The individual carriers or inserts 8 may be of been found preferable to employ strips of corrugated paper board consisting of facings l3 glued to the opposite sides of a strip of corrugated in each instance, each insert has the samepredetermined number of individual pockets or compartments Ill. The number of compartments or pockets H] in each carrier or insert and the number of inserts contained within the box bear a.

definite relationship to the graduated scale 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the box is intended to hold five hundred units. Thereare ten carriers or inserts and each has fifty pockets or compartments. In effect; the assembled inserts thus form a cellular core having five hundred cells and extending across the open top of the box. The scale I has fifty graduations, each one representing a transverse row of ten units. Consequently, if only ten transverse rows of units remain in the box, there are one hundred units present. In this manner the number of units in the box is at all times determinable at a glance.

' As pointed outhereinbefore, the height of the base or body portion 5 of the box is substantially less than that of the cover 6 and is such that the inserts or carriers 8 project above the top thereof thus making the units mounted therein clearly visible upon removal of the cover which is deep.

enough to accommodate the full length of the units.

As will be apparent from, the description thus far, the'broad aspect of the invention resides in and 2. This retainer consists merely of a strip of stiff paper bent longitudinally to provide at least one and preferably two channels l6 having transverse wall portions IT. The wall portions H are perforated as at l8 at regular intervals to receive the lead wires ll of the resistor units, as

shown. The spacing between the outermost trans- Another simple manner of grouping predetermined numbers of resistor units is illustrated in Figure 4. In this instance, two parallel strips of corrugated paperl9 are secured to one face of o a wider flat strip of paper 20 so as to form in effect a strip of corrugated board with one face 'cketsedorge" ceive the lead wires of the units, as shown. While two'strips [9 are shown, a single strip-of sufli znt width may be utilized. With this form of reta. er or carrier, packaging of a number of groups is best done by rolling the retainer with the resistors therein into bundles and inserting the bundles into suitable boxes, as shown in Figure. 5.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention provides novel and simple means for facilitating the handling of large numbers of small resistor units and like articles for sale and use.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Means to hold a large number of small resistor units, all having bodies and lead ,wires' projecting from the ends thereof and of like dimensions and like appearance, in orderly fashion and in such a manner that the character and number of units present can be determined at a glance at all times which means comprises an open topped box, and means disposed within the box and extending across the open top thereof to provide a core coextensive with the area of the open top of the box, the top of the core being on a level substantially no lower than the open top of the box and the core having a multiplicity of cells perpendicular to the bottom of the box and arranged in rows transversely and longitudinally and adapted to receive the lead wires at one end of the units so that the units are supported above the open top of the core in unbroken rows, and indicia delineated on the outside of the box, said indicia being in the form of a graduated scale bearing a definite relationship to the number of cells in the longitudinal and transverse rows so that the number of units present can be determined at a glance by reference to the scale.

2. Means to hold a large number of small resistor units, all having bodies and lead wires projecting from the ends thereof and of like dim nsions and like apearance, in orderly fashion and in such a manner that the character and number of units present can be determined at a glance at all times, said means comprising an open topped box, and a plurality of identical inserts removably disposed in said box, said inserts having a height substantially no less than that of the box and substantially equal to the length of one lead wire and having a plurality of spaced pockets each adapted to receive the lead wire at one end of one unit so that each insert is adapted to hold a definite number of units with their bodies all arranged in a straight row, and substantially entirely exposed above the ,open top of the box, and a graduated scale on the outside of the box bearing a definite relationship to the number of pock-.-

ets in each insert'and the number of inserts in the box so that the number of units present in the box can be determined at a glance at all times by comparison of the units present with the scale.

3. A resistance unit package comprising, a plurality of small resistors each having a body and easily bendable wire leads projecting endwise from the ends thereof, a supporting strip for supporting one lead wire of each resistor, said strip having a width at least equal to substantially the length of the supported wire lead and having a length many times the transverse dimension of the resistor bodies, and means extending along the length of the strip providing pockets, each adapted to receive and hold one wire lead with and easily bendable wire leads projecting endwise from the ends thereof, a supporting strip for supporting one lead wire of each resistor, said strip having a width at least equal to substantially the length of the supported wire lead and having a length many times the transverse dimension of the resistor bodies, means extending along the length 01 the strip providing pockets. each adapted to receive and hold one wire lead with the adjacent end of the resistor body resting against the edge of the strip so that the resistor is supported on said edge when the strip stands on its opposite edge, said pockets holding the wire leads in such manner that the strip protects the leads against being bent, and said pocka plurality of strips carrying resistors, said box having a bottom and a cover and the height of the bottom being no greater than the width of the strips so that when the strips stand in position therein the bodies of the resistors carried thereby are exposed to viewupon removal of the box cover.

5. Means to hold a large number of small rte-- sistor units, all having bodies and easily bendable lead wires projecting from the ends thereof, and of like dimensions and like appearance, in orderly fashion, and in such amanner that the character and number of units present can be deter mined at a glance at all times, said means comprising an open topped box, a scale delineated along one side of the box, and a plurality of inserts placed side by side and longitudinally in the box to completely fill the same, said inserts having equispaced pockets in registry with the divisions of the scale, and each pocket being I with its body portion exposed to view, said scale bearing a definite relationship to the number of pockets in each transverse row of pockets formed by the aligned pockets of all of the inserts so that the number ofumts present is always readily determinable by reference to the scale.

6. A resistance unit package comprising, a plurality of resistor units all having like bodies and lead wires projecting endwise from the ends thereof, and a strip of corrugated board having a single backing sheet, the corrugations of the corrugated board together with the backing sheet forming cells each containing one of the lead wires of one unit with the bodies of the units engaging the adjacent ends of their respective cells so that the bodies are exposed to view, and the whole strip being sufiiciently flexible to be rolled into a bundle to facilitate packaging thereof.

7. A resistance unit package comprising, a large number of small resistor units, said units all having like bodies and easily bendable wire leads extending endwise from the ends of the bodies,

, an open topped box, a plurality of inserts filling said box, each insert comprising a supporting strip for supporting one wire lead of each resistor unit, said strip having'a width at least equal to substantially the length of the supported lead wire, and a length many times the transverse dimension of a resistor body and having a number of spaced pockets, each adapted to loosely and readily removablyr'eceive one lead wire of each resistor unit, said pockets being so constructed that the units are held with their bodies in neat rows at an elevation above the open top of the box and with the lowermost lead wires protected against bending, and a cover fitted over the open ing lead wires and the bodies of the units.

8. A resistance unit package comprising, the

combination of a plurality 01' like resistors, each having a body and a bendable wire lead of less 

